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necessary

n.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈnɛsəˌsɛɹi// UK //nˈɛsəsəɹi// nec·es·sary Archaic General-service Humorous

n. needed in order to achieve a result or to be successful. You use this to describe things you must have or do.

n. required to be done, achieved, or present; essential to a particular end or purpose.


SIMPLE

It is necessary to wear a seatbelt while driving.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager provided all the necessary tools for the team to complete the renovation on time.

COMPLEX

While some critics argued the intervention was excessive, the government maintained it was a necessary measure to prevent a total collapse of the local economy.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English necessarye, from Old French necessaire, from Latin necessārius (“unavoidable, inevitable, required”), variant of necesse (“unavoidable, inevitable”), probably from ne or non cessum, from the perfect passive participle of cēdō (“yield; avoid, withdraw”); see cede. Older use as a noun in reference to an outhouse or lavatory under the influence of English and Latin necessārium, a medieval term for the place for monks’ “unavoidable” business, usually located behind or attached to monastic dormitories.

Usage

Often used in the pattern 'it is necessary to [verb]' or 'it is necessary that'.

Pitfall

It is necessary for me goingIt is necessary for me to goWhen followed by a personal object, the verb must be in the to-infinitive form, not the gerund.

Idioms1 entry

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